Bagging machine



J. E. STEHR BAGGING MACHINE Jan. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 7,1954 l2 INV ENTOR. JOSEPH E. STEHR ATTO' 1959 J. E. STEHR 2,867,400

BAGGING MACHINE Filec l July 7, 1954 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. 22 82JOSEPH E. STEHR BAGGING MACHINE Joseph E. Stehr, Silverton, OhioApplication July 7, 1954, Serial No. 441,751 2 Claims. Cl. 248-161) Thisinvention relates to a bagging machine of the type which facilitates theintroduction of elongate, openended bags onto articles of wearingapparel suspended from clothes hangers.

An object of the invention is to provide a bagging machine of the typewhich may be delivered to the ultimate user thereof in a knocked-downcondition and which when assembled will provide a highly eificient,sturdy, trouble-free device.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a bagging machine whichincludes a rod mounted in telescopic relationship with. averticalsupporting member for supporting garment hangers a sufiicientdistance above a floor, or other supporting surface, whereby the lowerend of garments suspended from the hangers is spaced above thesupporting surface, for enabling an open-ended bag to be drawndownwardly onto and over the garment and its supporting hanger.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bagging machine havingthe hereinabove described characteristics wherein the garment-hangersupporting rod may be released from-fully elevated position for enablinga bagged garment to be easily removed therefrom.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device havingstructural details which facilitate the attainment of the aboveenumerated objects.

These and other objectsare attained by the means described herein and asdisclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a bagging device embodying thedetails of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the device in useincident to the process of applying a bag to a dress.

With reference now to Fig. 1, the numeral denotes a base plate to besuitably secured to a supporting surface such as, by Way of example, afloor, or the like. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, base10 includes a socket 12 and a socket 14 both of which are rigidlysecured thereto, socket 14 being spaced a considerable distance abovethe base and reinforced as by members 16.

With reference now to Fig. 3, the numeral 20 denotes a hollow, elongatemember in the form of an upright post the lower end of which isreceivable within socket 12 as at 22, and the upper end of which isadapted to receive a housing or hood 24.

A rod 30 is slidably receivable within elongate member 20, the upper endof said rod being provided with a U-shaped notch 32 dimensioned tosecurely though releasably receive the hook portion of a conventionaltriangular shaped garment hanger.

One face of rod 30 is provided with a plurality of notches 34 defined byan upwardly and inwardly inclined lower surface 36 and a second surface38 dis atent ice posed at substantial right angleswith face 40 of therod.

Housing or hood 24 includes a lower wall 42 provided with an opening44.dimensioned"to receive the upper end of elongate member 20, and witha smooth bore 46 spaced rearwardly thereof, as illustrated. The upperwall 45 of hood 24 is provided with an opening 47 dimensioned toslidably receive rod 30. A pawl 50 is pivotally secured adjacent itsrear end, as at 52, to the hood by means of a pivot pin which spans sidewalls 54 of the hood. The free end of pawl 50 is provided with a taperedportion 56 the angle of which approaches the angularity of inclinedlower surfaces 36 of notches 34, said pawl being adapted toautomatically fall into or be received within a notch incident toraising of rod 30 upwardly relative to and through elongate member 20,for securely though releasably maintaining the rod in an elevatedposition.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the rear faces of sidewalls 54 are inclined downwardly and outwardly as at 160 for a reasonhereinafter more fully made apparent. A stopmember 162 spans side walls54 for limiting the upward movementof pawl 50 about its pivot.

The numeral 60 denotes a lever having a forward pedal portion 62 and arearwardly extending actuator portion 64, said lever being pivoted tothe lower end of elongate member 20 by means of a pivot pin 66 whichextends completely through the elongate member.

A spring 68 one end of'which is secured as at 70 to the elongate memberand the other end secured as at 72 to the lever is provided for normallyand yieldably maintaining the lever with the forward pedal portion imclined upwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The numeral denotes an actuator rod the upper end of which is slidablyreceivable within bore 46 of housing or hood 24. The lower end of therod is bent upwardly as at 82, thence downwardly as at 84, for providingan '8 turn, leg 86 of which is receivable within an opening 88 providedin rear end wall 90 of lever 60, for thereby anchoring the actuatorrodrelative to the lever.

From the foregoing, it'will be noted that actuator rod 80 will beelevated incident to a lowering of the forward pedal portion about pivot66, whereby'the free upper end of the rod will engage, and exert alifting force against pawl 50 which will be elevated until the endthereof has been disengaged from notch 34, therebypermitting rod 30 todrop by gravity into or downwardly of elongate member 20, As the pawl islifted to effect disengagement from a notch, rod,:30 will likewisebelifted until the pawl has become completely disengaged from the notch inwhich it was seated.

A bumper plug 92 is housed within elongate member 20 being supportedupon pivot 66. The lower end 31 of rod 30 will strike upper surface 93of the bumper plug, thereby resiliently arresting the downward movementof rod 30.

With reference now to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the numeral denotes a verticalstandard the lower end of which is receivable within and securelymounted to socket member 14, said standard being provided with threelaterally spaced, horizontally extending branches 102, 104 and 106, fromwhich bags 108, and 112, re spectively, may be suspended. It will benoted that bags 108 are dimensioned whereby to fit over a pair oftrousers and a hanger from which they are suspended; bag 110 beingdimensioned to receive a suit and a hanger from which it is suspended;bag 112 being dimensioned to receive a dress and a hanger from which itis suspended.

As indieated in Figs. 2 and 4, a plurality of similar bags will normallybe suspended from horizontal branches 102, 104 and 106, therebyproviding a convenient supply of bags to an operator of the device.

Operation Operation of the device will be described with reference toFig. 4, 'and assuming that a bag 112 is to be applied to a dress 120suspended from a garment hanger 122 the hook 124 of which has beenreceived in notch 32 of rod 30. Rod 30 will be elevated by hand untilthe lower end 130 of the dress has been spaced above base 10, it beingunderstood that rod 30 will be maintained in elevated position by reasonof pawl 50 having engaged one of the notches 34. i

With the dress thus suspended from its hanger, the operator will thenreach upwardly and grasp the lower or open end 132 of the outer of bags112 and then pull it downwardly, in the direction indicated by theheaded arrow 134, for thus enveloping the dress. It will be noted thatinclined surface 160 of the hood or housing 24 is tapered whereby tofacilitate downward movement of the bag relative to and over the hoodand elongate member 20.

After the bag has been fully lowered onto the dress, the hook portion ofthe garment hanger from which the dress is suspended will be exposedthrough the small opening in the top of the bag, and the upper end ofrod 30 will likewise be exposed. After an operator has grasped theexposed hook, the forward pedal portion 62 of lever 60 may be depressedfor thereby dropping rod 30 back into elongate member 20, after whichthe bagged dress may be lifted upwardly off of the comparatively lowelongate member 20.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that I have thus provided simpleyet highly effective means for enabling an operator to apply open-endedgarment bags to various types and styles of garments suspended fromconventional garment hangers.

It should be understood that various changes may be made in thestructural details of the device, within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising an upright hollow post having a lower endand an open upper end, an upright garment-support rod slidable withinsaid post and having opposite ends and an intermediate portion, theintermediate portion being notched transversely at intervals to engage apawl, a hollow hood supported atop the hollow post, said hood includingupper and lower walls having upright openings therein to receive,respectively, the upright slidable rod, and the open upper end of thepost, said hood lower wall having a third upright opening therein offsetfrom the post-receiving opening and the upper end of the post, anelongate substantially horizontal pawl enclosed within the hood, a noseend on the pawl to engage individually the transverse notches of the rodwhen the rod is extended from the post, an opposite end on the pawl, andmeans pivoting the opposite end of the pawl upon the hood for movementof the pawl in a vertical plane with the intermediate portion of thepawl overlying the aforesaid third opening of the hood, an elongateactuator rod having an upper end slidable within the offset thirdopening of the hood, to abut the overlying intermediate portion of thepawl, and means operatively connected with the actuator rod, toselectively elevate the upper end of the latter, for displacing the pawlabout its pivot means and disengaging the nose end thereof from a notchof the garment-support rod.

2. A garment hanger comprising an upright hollow (post having a lowerend and an open upper end, an up right garment-support rod slidablewithin said post and having opposite ends and an intermediate portion,the intermediate portion being notched transversely at intervals toengage a pawl, a hollow hood supported atop the hollow post, said hoodincluding upper and lower walls having upright openings therein toreceive, respectively, the upright slidable rod, and the open upper endof the post, said hood lower wall having a third upright opening thereinoffset from the post-receiving opening and the upper end of the post, anelongate substantially horizontal pawl enclosed within the hood, a noseend on the pawl to engage individually the notches of the rod when therod is extended through the open upper end of the post, an opposite endon the pawl, and means on the hood pivoting said opposite end forgravity movement of the pawl to a position overlying the aforesaid thirdopening of the hood, an elongate actuator rod having an upper endslidable within said third opening of the hood, to abut the pawlintermediate the ends of the latter, and means operatively connectedwith the actuator rod, to selectively elevate the upper end of thelatter, for displacing the pawl about its pivot means and disengagingthe nose end thereof from a notch of the garment-support rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

